


tough guys

by radioactiveRat



Category: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Genre: Cliff's not a fan of horror, Dates, Fluff, Holding Hands, Light-Hearted, M/M, One Shot, Rick's got a crush, horror movies, just two guys going to the movies together nothing to see here folks, references to 1963s The Haunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24596263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radioactiveRat/pseuds/radioactiveRat
Summary: Rick invites Cliff to see a horror movie with him, as far as he's concerned it's not a date, but it sure looks like it.
Relationships: Cliff Booth/Rick Dalton
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	tough guys

**Author's Note:**

> it's an idea I've had in mind for a while, somehow the toughest men I meet often get scared by films... curious.  
> at this point I'm just projecting my love of horror onto Rick, enjoy :*

If there’s a perfect movie to see on a date, it’s a horror. Rick’s damn sure of it. Back in his teenage years cinema was pretty much the only place he would go to with girls, because he found himself enjoying the films more than the time spent with them, but he knew they loved it. When girls would go see a horror they were always scared, whether it was for real or they were just pretending, all they wanted was to cuddle with the tough guy who was there to protect them from the scary monsters, ghosts and murderers on screen. Surprisingly so, Rick was that tough guy. 

He’s been a fan of all kinds of films as long as he can remember, and horrors were just that for him – films. The scary stuff on screen was nothing more than actors, directors and special effects doing their job, so for Rick it wasn’t scary. He liked the suspense, and the uneasy feeling the films gave him, because he knew none of it was real, so he could get scared and nervous but still have fun even if he was a coward in real life. 

Despite being a fan he still hasn’t seen many horrors from recent years. He’s been busy, he’s been lonely and going to the theatre alone isn’t that fun. He would much rather watch movies at home where he can invite Cliff and they can talk laugh and comment as much as they want. However, now come October and a bunch of cinemas are doing screenings of scary films he missed, so there won’t be a better opportunity to catch up than now. 

He invites Cliff, because of course he does. Rick’s not really thinking when he asks him to come, and Cliff agrees without much thought either, it’s nothing but two friends going to the movies but now that Rick’s waiting for Cliff to pick him up he can’t help but think of it as a fucking date. 

_It’s not a date._ He tells himself over and over, without actually admitting how much he would love for it to be a date. All he really worries about is if they’re going to look weird going together. Horror screenings are almost always filled to brim with couples, Rick just hopes this doesn’t turn into a damn rumour about Rick Dalton going on dates with his stuntman. Or that he is such a wimp he needs that tough guy to hold onto while watching a scary movie. That second one would almost be more offensive, because Rick knows it’s a lie. 

He hears Cliff’s loud car pull up in the driveway and he quickly stands up from the couch he’s been waiting on. He goes to the mirror in the hallway and fixes his hair one last time before leaving. 

He sees Cliff in the car, he’s looking at himself in one of the mirrors and Rick can’t resist the urge to chuckle. He’s looking like he’s fixing himself up before a date as well. 

_It’s not a date._ Rick reminds himself again, secretly wishing it was after seeing Cliff looking this good. It’s not that different than usual, it’s the little details Rick notices, like the way he combed his hair or maybe even ironed his shirt. It’s the effort that gets to him, because it means the evening’s important if Cliff Booth ironed his own fucking shirt. 

‘Whoa, you’re on time.’ Cliff says mockingly after turning the car off, apparently he was expecting to greet Rick at the door. 

‘I’m early.’ Rick responds and makes Cliff’s smile get wider. He must have noticed Rick was in a good mood. 

‘What time is it starting?’ Cliff asks. 

‘Eight thirty, so we’ve got, uh, half—half an hour.’ Rick looked at his watch. 

‘What are we seeing again? Horror right? Is it that new Polański flick you keep going on about?’ 

‘Nah, nah, t-that doesn’t come out u-until next year I think.’ Rick says. ‘T-this one is called _The Haunting,_ it’s from Robert Wise.’ 

‘The West Side Story guy? He does horror now?’ Cliff mocks. He doesn’t sound very enthusiastic about the whole thing and Rick wonders why, he knows the stuntman likes movies just as much as he does, so he’s got no idea why he wouldn’t be interested in this one. 

‘He does, not the first one he did, but I’ve heard it’s good.’ 

‘Is it scary?’ 

‘I hope so, it’s a fucking horror. It better be.’ Rick says and sees Cliff look at him with a raised eyebrow. The actor really hopes he’s not under assumption that Rick’s just saying that so he comes off as tough. If Cliff expects Rick Dalton to be scared by a movie than he’s in for a surprise. 

‘Alright, let's get going then.’ Cliff says and turns the car back on. 

There wasn’t that many people on the screening, and Rick was thanking the heavens for that. He wouldn’t want anybody to look weird their way as they walked together to the cinema and bought the tickets. They haven’t talked much besides the occasional _you want some popcorn?_ Or _who’s paying._ Rick would love to pay for Cliff, he dragged him to see a film he apparently didn’t care much for so at least he could compensate for that, but that’s too much like a date, so much so that Cliff would surely pick up on it. 

They have been watching for a while now, so far Rick likes the film a lot, he’s got no idea what Cliff thinks about it though, he’s unusually silent, but that could be just because they’re in a theatre and not at home. If they were at home they would probably already be commenting on pretty much everything. He can picture Cliff whistling playfully every time Theo is on screen, she seems like his type. 

Rick didn’t think much of it, he just sat there and enjoyed the movie. So far nothing that freaky happened, but the uneasiness and tension has been building up to an inevitable scary scene, and honestly he couldn’t wait to see the look on Cliff’s face when he sees Rick’s not scared at all. 

He didn’t have to wait long for the scary shit, the scene starts and the loud pounding on the door on screen startles him a little bit. Shit, this movie really is good if it managed to scare him. He’s grinning like an idiot, because that’s what always happens when he enjoys a movie this much. He wants to break the silence and whisper some words of praise to Cliff, he looks over at the other man, but quickly forgets what he was going to say. 

Cliff’s sitting sunk in his chair and his hand is covering his eyes, he squints and watches the movie from under it, the scene is quiet now, but Rick can tell the stuntman is very tense. 

Rick wants to laugh, he really does. He would expect anybody to be scared by a film – but not Cliff. He’s the most stereotypically manly man he’s ever met, he’s been through so much shit but a little flick is making him cower? That’s fucking rich. 

‘Cliff, are you scared?’ Rick finally asks, with a grin he can’t get off his face. 

‘Fuck off.’ The other man says, with his eyes still glued to the screen. 

Rick’s smile fades when he realizes this might not be that funny. What if this has something to do with the war? Maybe the loud noises and the tension bothers him because of that. Rick suddenly feels guilty for laughing, he’s never seen Cliff scared, and god knows how he’ll act when he is. He’s heard about how things like this can affect someone who’s been through a lot. Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea. 

There is another loud band on the door and a woman screams. Rick sees Cliff flinch and the actor is ready to leave the theatre if it’s gonna make him feel better. 

Another bang, and Cliff jumps in his seat, then he catches that Rick is staring. He covers his face again and averts his eyes. Rick can tell he’s embarrassed, and it makes him feel really bad. 

‘Alright man, you fucking got me.’ Cliff says, and then he laughs. 

That laugh makes Rick suddenly feel a huge amount of relief. Nothing’s wrong, there’s no deeper reasons why Cliff’s scared, he doesn’t need to worry. The smile quickly comes back to Rick’s face. The manly, tough Cliff Booth is scared by a horror while he’s not, this unexpected role reversal is downright hilarious. 

‘It’s just a movie Cliff, it ain’t gonna hurt you.’ Rick teases. 

‘Shut up.’ Cliff whispers and tries not to laugh. ‘Don’t tell me you ain’t scared.’ 

‘You don’t see me covering my face do you?’ 

Cliff doesn’t respond, he chuckles to himself and takes a breath. The characters on screen are back to talking and the scary scene is over, so Cliff hesitantly takes his hand off his face and watches. 

Rick feels just a little bit like an asshole for liking this turn of events, but he’s been a target for Cliff’s teasing for years over the smallest things, so this is just a perfect revenge. The fact that the stuntman thought Rick would be scared as well makes it even better. He wonders if Cliff’s impressed, bravery looks good on people and if all those girls were telling the truth it’s attractive too. 

Not that he wants Cliff to think he’s attractive. Not at all. 

Rick smiles a proud smile and continues to watch the film. Being tougher than Cliff during any situation makes him feel really good, not that getting scared is bad, but that just how Rick’s mind operates. He’s been the guy that needs comfort and protection for as long as the two known each other, and Rick’s not sure if he could handle a more serious situation, but this is very trivial and playful, and makes him feel just as strong as anything else would. It’s doing wonders for his ego, that’s for sure. 

Not much happens for a while concerning the two of them, Rick’s honestly too immersed in the film to be constantly looking over and laughing at Cliff, who hasn’t been as scared since that scene with the loud pounding. Rick thinks he might have just gotten used to the film and this is all he’s gonna see of Cliff Booth being afraid. 

Well, he’s wrong. 

The main character of the film – Eleanor is in her bed, she’s starting to hear whispers and Rick knows this is when shit is going to get really freaky. He’s already excited. 

‘Fucking hell, is that a fucking face?’ Rick hears Cliff say under his nose, more to himself than to Rick. The actor chuckles and looks back at the screen to see a curious looking wallpaper that does look weirdly similar to a face. Huh. _That’s clever_. Rick thinks, paired with the creepy whispers and weeps coming through the speakers the scene is honestly freaking him out a bit too, but it’s not like he’s going to show it. 

_Hold my hand Theo!_ Eleanor says, and Rick raises an eyebrow, those girls are pretty close, but he’s probably reading too deep into it. 

Then Rick feels a touch on his own hand, and it startles him just a little bit at first. He thinks for a second that he’s just imagining things but when he looks down he sees it’s just Cliff who’s holding it. 

Holding his hand. Cliff Booth is scared and he’s holding his fucking hand. Yeah, so much for the calm Rick Dalton. 

Rick doesn’t look over at his friend, afraid that if he does Cliff might see how flustered he is, or worse, let go. Rick’s mind is racing back to high school again, it’s uncanny how similar this is to all the dates he’s been on. 

His face is warm and he knows he’s blushing. He just hopes Cliff’s not gonna be able to see it in the dark. Rick wonders if the stuntman is even aware of what he just did, it could have just been an impulse, it’s normal to hold onto the closest person when you’re frightened, well, unless that person is another fucking man then it’s not that normal apparently. 

More things happen on screen that make Cliff flinch and his hand squeezes Rick’s tighter every time. Rick would love to know what is happening in the movie but he can’t fucking focus when he’s being held like this. It shouldn’t be that weird, the two of them are very touchy with each other anyway, but holding hands is something so stupidly intimate that Rick just can’t help but feel like a teenager with a crush. It’s ridiculous and he knows it, but goddamn does it feel good. 

He tries to focus back on the movie, and somewhat succeeds. Part of him wants to pull a little joke and let go of Cliff’s hand, then pretend like they never touched so Cliff will think he’s been holding onto a ghost this entire time. It would be funny enough, but Rick doesn’t think it’s worth it. He ain’t letting go, not yet at least. 

He also wouldn’t wanna draw attention to it in any way, Cliff might have not grabbed him on purpose and if he realizes what he’s doing he might regret it and be a little reserved for the rest of the evening. Or the rest of their friendship. Rick thinks back to his teenage years again, when he would get a little too close with a boy and the realization of what they were doing and how it looked would completely ruin that closeness. It ain’t that far fetched to think a little hand holding could be a catalyst for that. 

Rick manages to calm down after a while. He finds himself glancing at Cliff from time to time, who seems to be alright. He’s still squinting and sometimes he still covers his face in preparation for being frightened, but it all goes back to normal, yet Rick can’t help but wonder why the stuntman isn’t letting go of him. Even when there’s nothing he can be scared of, Cliffs hand still rests gently in Ricks. Just like that, like that’s where it belongs, and it stays there for the rest of the movie. 

‘I ain’t gonna live this down, am I?’ Cliff says as they’re walking out of the theatre, he laughs, and his face looks tired in the bright light of the hallway, but for Rick he looks just as good as he did when they came here. 

‘No, never.’ Rick responds playfully. 

‘Shit, that’s why I ain’t a fan of horror, I’m surprised you weren’t spooked.’ 

‘It’s just a movie.’ Rick says and shrugs. They are already out of the cinema, but they aren’t getting in the car yet, Rick figures it’s a good time for a smoke. ‘Never thought you’d be so scared. What happened? Thought you were tougher. Are ya’ gonna need to sleep with the lights on tonight?’ Rick says mockingly. He’s glad he didn’t stutter, it always ruins his quips. 

Cliff just chuckles, and Rick’s a little annoyed he can never really get to him. 

‘If something wanted me dead a little light wouldn’t stop it.’ The stuntman says nonchalantly. 

Rick raises an eyebrow. ‘You believe in ghosts?’ 

Cliff shrugs and looks somewhere in the distance. It’s hard for Rick to really read him in moments like this, as far as he know he might be recalling some unpleasant memory. The actor wishes they would talk more about this type of stuff, but then again, he would have to tell Cliff some things too, and most he would rather keep to himself. 

Cliff takes out a cigarette from his back pocket but doesn’t light it yet, his quiet laugh breaks the silence, he seems almost timid and Rick wonders why. 

‘You must have been at least a little scared.’ Cliff says. 

Rick furrows his brows, slightly offended the stuntman isn’t believing him. ‘Why?’ he asks, confused. 

‘Well, you’re the one that’s still holding my hand.’ 

Rick’s heart skips a beat and he quickly lets go, it’s a little over the top the way he does it, he cringes back and dramatically wipes his palm on the fabric of his pants. He’s flustered and he’s angry at Cliff for pointing it out like that. He’s been keeping it classy and hasn’t made fun of him out of the kindness of his heart while Cliff would rather mock him even though _he_ is the one that grabbed it in the first place! What a fucking asshole. 

‘Y-y-you st-started it.’ He mumbles, it’s so fucking embarrassing the way Cliff makes him trip over his words. 

‘Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.’ 

All Rick thinks about if how stupid he was to forget they were still holding hands. He prays nobody had seen them walking out the theatre like this. He gets so worked up about it he almost doesn’t register Cliff’s apology. Rick blinks, then shakes his head. 

‘No, d-don’t be. It’s nothing. You can hold m-my hand as much as you want.’ He says and realizes how it sounds after the fact. He blushes again, embarrassed by his own bluntness.

If he keeps being such an idiot Cliff’s gonna want to have nothing to do with him. All this blushing and handholding and teasing and frankly - flirting is funny to a certain extent before it becomes creepy and Cliff actually notices Rick’s stupid feelings and this whole thing they have between them so far is going to end. 

‘What did you think about the movie?’ Cliff changes the subject, interrupting Rick’s spiralling thoughts. He must have noticed, Rick thinks. Sometimes it seems like he can read his mind, although if he really could they wouldn’t be friends anymore. 

‘It was – it was good. I r-really enjoyed it.’ Rick says. ‘T-the characters were great.’ 

‘Yeah.’ 

Cliff finally lights the cigarette he’s been holding in his mouth for all this time, and Rick watches him do it. A comfortable silence falls between them as they smoke and listen to the commotion of the LAs nightlife. Most of the moviegoers already left, so there isn’t anyone with them in the parking lot. The night is warm and they both still don’t wanna leave the place. 

‘I think Theo was gay.’ Cliff suddenly states, blowing the smoke upwards. 

Rick blinks, not sure if he heard it right. ‘What?’ 

‘Theo. That brunette?’ Cliff clarifies. He seems to grow more nervous with every second that Rick doesn’t speak. Then he waves his hand dismissively and continues. ‘Forget it. I must’ve been reading too much into it.’ 

It takes Rick a hot second to realize Cliff’s talking about the character from the film. ‘Nah, I n-noticed it too.’ He says softly, making Cliff smile. The two go back to silent smoking soon after. 

Rick’s thoughts linger on what was just stated. Of course he noticed. During the movie he picked up on some subtle clues, although he assumed he was just interpreting it wrong. It’s not like it’s the first time this happened. Rick did that with a lot of characters over the years, he knew it stemmed from the desire to relate and to see someone like him on the big screen. He notices the slightest subtext, intended by the filmmakers or not, and he knows it’s childish, and a bit pathetic, but the possibility of a character being gay just excites him, it’s nice. To be honest he would love to play a character like that at some point, but he ain’t confident enough and his career would have to be in a better place for this to be worth the risk. Besides, a director or a studio willing to include anything _gay_ in a movie ain’t commonplace at all, so it’s not an opportunity he’s going to get any time soon anyway. 

So yeah, he noticed, but the fact that Cliff did too was curious. Maybe it was more obvious than he realized, that anybody could pick up on Theo’s queerness. That would be most probable, but part of Rick’s mind entertained the idea that maybe – just maybe – he and Cliff weren’t that different. 

There’s a loud rustle in the bushes near the parking lot that puts a stop to Rick’s thoughts. They both hear it and Rick visibly tenses. The cinema is near empty, the area they’re in is barely illuminated by the neon sign they’re standing under so the whole thing is dark and creepy. The actor tries to brush it off as just the wind. 

Then it happens again, and it sounds like it’s getting louder. This time Cliff looks into the dark over with a stoic expression, he raises an eyebrow and focuses on something Rick can’t see. 

‘T-the fuck was that?’ the actor whispers and moves a bit closer to Cliff. He doesn’t do it on purpose, but he’s almost hiding behind the man. 

‘I don’t know. Want me to check?’ He asks nonchalantly, like it’s nothing. 

‘N-no, no. W-we should just go.’ Rick says, the two are really close now. ‘I w-would rather not get m-m-murdered.’ 

Cliff smiles a crooked grin, Rick hears him chuckle and he kinda want to just drag him to the car and force him to go. 

‘What happened tough guy? Didn’t think you’d be so scared.’ Cliff says, and now Rick wants to hit him. The situation is clearly different and Cliff is being such an asshole for turning Rick’s own insult around. Whoever or whatever is walking around there at night is way scarier than a fucking movie. 

‘Fuck off! I ain’t sc-scared.’ Rick whimpers, but he’s sure Cliff doesn’t believe him. ‘I j-just d-don’t wanna get hurt.’ _And I don’t want you to get hurt_ he thinks, but doesn’t say it. 

‘It’s probably just an animal. There’s a lot of strays walking around here.’ 

‘Well th-that’s not a good thing. Can be d-dangerous. More than any fucking ghost.’ Rick tries to reason but Cliff doesn’t seem to take it seriously at all. He’s chuckling like an idiot and doesn’t even register Rick’s little insult. 

Cliff moves closer to the sound, almost like he wants to spite Rick and scare him more. Before the stuntman can walk further away they hear a sudden, loud, high-pitched bark. 

Rick jumps and now he’s the one to grab the other man’s hand. It’s not as romantic as before, Rick does it roughly and yanks Cliff by the arm to stop moving. As soon as the actor realizes what he’s done he let’s go, and Cliff laughs at him. 

‘It’s just a dog partner, a puppy even.’ Cliff’s still laughing and making Rick pout and blush in embarrassment. 

‘J-just startled me! Fuck off!’ Rick yells and his voice makes the dog whimper. He still can’t see the animal in the dark so he’s not any less afraid. It might be a puppy but god knows what state it is in. 

Now that Cliff’s free from the actor’s grip he kneels in front of the grass. Rick can hear him whisper something, but he’s standing too far away to know what he says. Not a minute later Cliff stands up, with a childish smile on his face and a small dog in his arms. 

‘Cliff! Don’t fucking touch that!’ Rick yells. 

‘Aw, don’t be like that partner. Look how sweet she is.’ The stuntman says and scratches the dog on its head. It closes its eyes, enjoying the touch. 

Rick does find that dog cute, but he can’t bring himself to admit that out of his own stubbornness. It might be cute alright, but it’s still a dirty stray. 

‘You know, I might take her home. Wash her up in the sink, feed her some scraps.’ 

‘Are you serious?’ Rick asks.

‘Yeah, why not? I don’t have the heart to leave her here, and I could use some company.’ Cliff says softly, still petting and scratching the puppy. He looks almost entranced with it and Rick can’t help but smile, he’s not a big fan of animals but seeing Cliff so happy holding that damn dog makes his heart melt. He rarely thinks of Cliff as cute, but now it’s the perfect adjective to describe how he looks like. 

Rick hesitantly comes up closer and extends his hand to pet the animal as well, Cliff lets him and they both smile as she closes her eyes and almost falls asleep in the stuntman’s arms. 

‘Shit, s-she is cute.’ Rick whispers and makes Cliff chuckle. 

‘Ever heard that dogs can sense spirits?’ he suddenly says, it takes Rick aback for a second, and the actor raises an eyebrow. 

‘What kind of bullshit is that?’ he laughs. 

Cliff shrugs. ‘Alright Mr Sceptic, at least we can both agree they can know someone’s approaching before people do, so they are protective either way.’ 

‘As if you need any protection.’ Rick didn’t mean for it to sound as accusatory as it did. He always considered Cliff to be inhumanly strong and formidable, so seeing him in this new light – as just a guy who sometimes gets scared too – was weird. 

It’s not how it’s supposed to be. Rick’s the one that freaks out, gets insecure or cries himself to sleep. The mare possibility that Cliff might experience even the slightest bit of those emotions fucks with Rick’s whole worldview. It’s not right, and it also makes him feel like a dick that he never even considered that. _You’re not the centre of the world, and not the only one with problems, you narcissist._

Rick clears his throat and tries not to get too caught up in his own head. ‘M-maybe we sh-should take her to my place? I’ve got a bathtub and m-m-more space.’ he offers shyly. 

Cliff looks up at Rick and smiles widely. ‘Really?’ he asks in disbelief. ‘You’re not worried about your precious carpets?’ 

Rick scoffs. ‘F-fuck the carpets. I’ve spilled enough whiskey in that house to care about my fucking carpets.’ 

They both laugh, and Cliff clumsily tries to reach to his pocket for the car keys. When he finally finds them he adjusts his grip on the dog and looks at Rick, thinking. 

‘You’re gonna have to hold her while I drive.’ He says. ‘Are you willing to sacrifice your pants too? She _is_ dirty.’ 

‘Fuck... alright.’ Rick agrees reluctantly, regretting this slightly. ‘Everything for you partner.’ he says sarcastically, but actually means it. 

Then they get into the car and drive off. _The date went pretty well_ , Rick catches himself thinking.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! feedback is very much appreciated, I always love your comments so much :**


End file.
